EDITORIAL - A confluence of problems

Authorities in the US have charged a woman who, during a school board meeting, threatened to bring loaded guns to a school after being told her children had to wear a mask to attend classes.

"My children will not come to school on Monday with a mask on. All right? That's not happening. And I will bring every single gun loaded and ready,” said Amelia King of Luray, Virginia, with regards to the mask mandate being discussed during the meeting.

What is happening here is a confluence of two issues or problems that US authorities have yet to address; ignorance of the ongoing pandemic and radicalization.

Pandemic ignorance continues to be a problem even in the US where people have quick access to information and where it is so easy to get tested or vaccinated. It’s not just about people who practice risky behavior like not wearing masks or taking similar precautions, some people still believe there is no pandemic going on at all.

Contrary to popular belief, radicalization can no longer be applied to just terrorists. The willingness to go to extremes in supporting one’s views, including using or implying the use of violence in situations where it is totally unnecessary or can be avoided, is a form of radicalization.

We see this becoming more and more of a problem in the US, with people becoming more vocal and violent in their discrimination of minority groups or opposition of quarantine protocols. More disturbingly in how armed militia groups, many still believing Donald Trump’s big lie, now insist that conflict with the federal government will soon happen.

We can even sneak in a third issue; gun control. King hinted she could bring more than one gun to the school. Either she meant she has more than one gun or she could convince others to bring theirs. Either way, it bodes ill. The US is infamous for school shootings. More often than not, weapons used during these incidents were obtained questionably if not downright illegally.

The US authorities’ inability to address these issues, or their taking them for granted, may lead to dire consequences. We are sure there are more people out there who, like King, are more than willing to take radical action to defend her beliefs.

But unlike King, who was decent enough to issue a warning, they will strike without any notice or provocation.